NOAA LEADING THE WAY IN TSUNAMI
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
Local Tsunami Exercise Kicks off Tsunami Awareness Month in Hawaii

April
1, 2004 — Advanced computer models, inundation maps, deepwater buoys,
an expanded seismic network, evacuation signs, educational videos and
teaching aids are all products of the NOAA
National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program designed to help communities
become better prepared for a tsunami. (Click NOAA image for larger
view of April 1, 1946, tsunami breaking over Pier No. 1 in Hilo Harbor,
Hawaii. The man in the foreground became one of the 159 fatalities in
the Hawaiian Islands from the tsunami. The photo was taken from the Brigham
Victory, which was in the harbor at the time of the event. The ship was
caught by the waves and tossed about but was able to use its own power
to avoid the reefs and get past the breakwater to the open sea. Click
here for high resolution version, which is a large file. Please credit
“NOAA.)

“Even
though tsunamis are rare, it is imperative we ensure that the large population
now living near the coast understands what the dangers are and knows how
to protect themselves from a destructive tsunami,” said Jeff LaDouce,
manager of the U.S. tsunami program and director of the NOAA
National Weather Service Pacific Region. “These tools help scientists
better understand and predict tsunami behavior, which will reduce false
alarms and enable officials to make better informed decisions that will
ultimately save lives and property.”

As part of
Tsunami
Awareness Month, a statewide local tsunami exercise is being held
Thursday in Hawaii during the monthly siren test, beginning at 11:15 a.m.
local time. All activities will be invisible to the public. Participating
in the exercise along with the NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, International
Tsunami Information Center and NOAA
National Weather Service Honolulu forecast office, are Hawaii state
and county civil defense agencies, state and county warning points, Hawaii
State Department of Education, American Red Cross, Hawaii Tourism Authority,
Pacific Tsunami Museum and Civil Air Patrol.

“The
exercise will focus on Hawaii’s ability to respond to a locally
generated tsunami,” said Ed Teixeira, vice director of state civil
defense. “It provides an opportunity for participants to review
their local tsunami response procedures and to promote preparedness.”

Following
the exercise, a review and evaluation will be conducted by all participants.
“The exercise will help us improve our tsunami warning procedures
and products and be more prepared for the next real event,” said
Chip McCreery, director of the NOAA
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. “The last local tsunami in which
lives were lost occurred in 1975 near Halape on the Big Island. Two generations
have grown up in Hawaii since then with little experience or knowledge
of tsunamis. It is an educational challenge.”

According
to the NOAA National Geophysical Data
Center, tsunamis have claimed more than 3,000 lives in just the last
10 years. More than 200 tsunamis are known to have affected the United
States since the first records were kept in the 1700s.

NOAA’s
two tsunami warning centers were established in 1948 in Ewa Beach, Hawaii,
and 1967 in Palmer, Alaska, following devastating tsunamis in those states.
The National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program was created in 1996 after
a magnitude 7.1 earthquake near Cape Mendocino in northern California
raised concerns about a tsunami threat to the west coast. The five Pacific
states teamed up with NOAA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and
the U.S. Geological Survey to work towards goals to provide early warning
of tsunamis and educate citizens about evacuation. The program has made
significant progress in mitigation, hazard assessment and warning guidance.

Alaska, Washington,
Oregon, California and Hawaii are in the process of completing inundation
mapping for communities at risk. According to Eddie Bernard, director
of the NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Lab, about 3 million people are
at risk in 512 U.S. cities and towns. “So far, maps have been generated
for 125 communities that are home to about 1.3 million of those residents,”
he said. The maps show how far inland tsunami flooding will reach; some
include information about how fast the flow of water might be and how
long the inundation will last.

Six deepwater
tsunami detection buoys are deployed in earthquake-prone areas off the
Aleutians, the northwest coast of the U.S., and Chile. The buoys send
back wave information in real time to the warning centers. This tsunami
warning capability is already paying big dividends, noted retired Air
Force Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, director of the NOAA National Weather
Service. “Data received in November 2003 following a magnitude 7.5
earthquake off the Aleutians convinced officials in Hawaii to cancel a
tsunami warning that saved the state an estimated $68 million,”
he said. The tsunami detection network will consist of 20 sensors when
it is completed in 2011.

Two other
significant advances brought by the NTHMP are improvements in communications
and an expanded seismic network. Not only are the warning centers receiving
more data than before, but they are receiving it more rapidly. Innovative
software packages enable faster processing and dissemination of warning
products.

Educational
tools produced by the NTHMP include classroom curriculum, safety videos,
publications, evacuation signs, displays and training workshops. The program
also encourages evacuation drills in public schools.

Education
about local tsunamis is a particular concern. There is virtually no warning
for a local tsunami, which is caused by a nearby earthquake or underwater
landslide. Often the ground shaking is the first indication of a potential
tsunami. In this instance, prior public education to get to high ground
quickly may be critical to survival.

Tsunami Awareness
Month commemorates the destructive April 1, 1946, tsunami in which 159
people in Hawaii lost their lives. Activities and public events are held
to promote tsunami preparedness.

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